In a bid to be provocative, I notice that you are playing in the Women’s in the VCC. Do you think the results on the pre-empt hands might be positively influenced (perhaps literally) by the field that you were in?

Preempts work. No doubt. And the weaker the field, the better they work. (Mr. Cayne’s double on 2542 shape on a hand you covered recently, for example). “Weak” covers a lot of ground. Most Australian open teams even fall into this category, on a world plane.

And even the unAustralian me would open a 3M preempt on bd 1 if non-vul, and on bd 2 and b3 if dlr at favourable. What was the vul at the table ?

I am not so interested in partner as I am in the opponents. Continuing on from Jonathan’s comment yesterday, you should respect the opponents as well. Why would LHO be trying to push us to a making slam at this vulnerability?

Thus we have a quandry. Has partner taken this into account already in making the slam invite? If so, an Ace together with sufficient trumps to reduce the probability of a nasty surprise there to practically zero is enough for me to bid slam. If not, I think I would need another card in one of the minors.

Also, to what extent is LHO trying to goad my “intrepid” partner into action? Surely LHO knows that I am not susceptible to such provocation, but what about partner? Then again, against such a partner, this auction is probably the way in which LHO would bid it to play spades doubled at the cheapest possible level, as an immediate 5S would provoke our intrepid partner into simply bidding 6H over it.

Knowing nothing about the opponents, I would double 5S. If LHO is someone whose thought processes I think I know and definitely respect, I would succumb to the temptation of bidding 6H … because my excuse has already been prepared (above). If LHO is a good opponent who I know and don’t respect, I would double 5S, because they are trying to provoke a 6H bid.

Finally, a bit of bidding theory (see – something for everyone!). I like to use 4NT by the Acol 2 in this auction to show a “good” 5H bid – one that is bidding 5H to make and sets up a “forcing” auction over 5S. A 5H bid initially (like the one partner has made) would be a hand which did not want to set up a forcing auction over 5S and so is in no way inviting 6 and in fact was probably diving over 4S. If I can use that inference, I probably don’t even have enough to double. OK – it means that I can’t just wield Blackwood in these auctions. Which do you think is more useful?

Having never played Acol twos but having seen what some people in WA bid them on (x KQJxxxxx KQx x), I am wary. I am presuming that I have convinced partner to play a sensible version where it is “8 playing tricks, but also defence”.